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title: AEP-0001 Gateway API support

Summary

Gateway API is dedicated to achieving expressive and scalable Kubernetes service networking through many custom resources.

Apache APISIX Ingress controller can realize richer functions by adding support for Gateway API, including Gateway management, multi-cluster support and other features.

Motivation

• Improve ease of use
• Support lifecycle management of Apache APISIX Gateway

Goals

• Can bind the Apache APISIX Ingress controller with Gateway resources.
• The traffic rules defined by the Gateway API are processed by the Apache APISIX Gateway

Non-Goals

• Supports all Gateway API versions and capabilities.

Proposal

Add support from the definition of HTTP routing. Mainly cover the following resources:

• GatewayClass
• Gateway
• HTTPRoute
• TLSRoute
• ...

Design Details

We need to add a separate switch for the Gateway API to control whether to enable this feature, and add corresponding controllers for various resources.

• pkg/ingress/gateway_class.go
• pkg/ingress/gateway.go
• pkg/ingress/http_route.go

These controllers can handle gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1alpha2 version of GatewayClass, Gateway and HTTPRoute resources.

For real traffic definition rules, it needs to be translated into rules in Apache APISIX.

GatewayClass controller

For GatewayClass resources, we need to have a unique identifier. We can define controllerName = apisix.apache.org/gateway-controller in the code.

apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1alpha2
kind: GatewayClass
metadata:
  name: apisix-lb
spec:
  controllerName: apisix.apache.org/gateway-controller

After the creation is successful, you will see the following results.

➜  ~ kubectl get gatewayclass
NAME        CONTROLLER                             AGE
apisix-lb   apisix.apache.org/gateway-controller   7m

We need to update its Status.

Gateway controller

For the Gateway resource, we have two stages:

• Binding the existing Apache APISIX data plane;
• Create a self-managed Apache APISIX Gateway;

apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1alpha2
kind: Gateway
metadata:
  name: my-gateway
spec:
  gatewayClassName: apisix-lb
  listeners:
  - name: http
    protocol: HTTP
    port: 80

After correct processing, you will get the following results:

➜  ~ kubectl get gateway
NAME         CLASS       ADDRESS   READY   AGE
my-gateway   apisix-lb   6.6.6.6   True    12m

HTTPRoute controller

For the HTTPRoute resource, we need to complete its translation to APISIX.

apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1alpha2
kind: HTTPRoute
metadata:
  name: http-app-1
spec:
  parentRefs:
  - name: my-gateway
  hostnames:
  - "foo.com"
  rules:
  - matches:
    - path:
        type: PathPrefix
        value: /bar
    backendRefs:
    - name: my-service1
      port: 8080
  - matches:
    - headers:
      - type: Exact
        name: magic
        value: foo
      queryParams:
      - type: Exact
        name: great
        value: example
      path:
        type: PathPrefix
        value: /some/thing
      method: GET
    backendRefs:
    - name: my-service2
      port: 8080

Need to create the corresponding route on Apache APISIX.

TLSRoute Controller

TBD

TCPRoute Controller

TBD

UDPRoute Controller

TBD

Test Plan

• Use the e2e test case cover examples in the above document.

Graduation Criteria

TBD

Production Readiness

• We already have perfect e2e coverage
• Gateway API reaches GA